Collapsible adjustable chair



June 21, 1938. c. A. TCRNQUIST V 2,121,456

COLLAPSIBLE ADJUSTABLE CHAIR Filed Jan. 9, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet- 1 INVENTOR C/MLA. Tamvqnwsr ATTC'JRNEYE? M June 21, 1938. M c. A. 1'or11-u:zu|srr 2,121,456

COLLAPSIBLE ADJUSTABLE CHAIR Filed Jan. 9, .1937 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 INVENTOR 64/11 A. Tommy/5r 4-- ATTORN Y Patented June 21, 1938 1 UNITED STATES PAT ENT OFFICE 2,121,456 p COLLAPSIBLE ADJUSTABLE CHAIR Carl A. T'ornquist, Winchendon,"Mass. Application January 9, 1937, Serial No. 119,737 8 Claims. (01.155-117) This invention relates to what are known as folding or collapsible chairs and particularly chairs-of this kind o'fthe'adliustable and short fold type; and

line design, incorporating curved leg, brace-and 1 arm rail portions as well as a curved foot-rest portion giving distinct character and appearance to the entire chair and also added features of comfort more fully hereinafter set forth; a further object being to provide a chair consisting of a cross-legged frame with means for pivotally supporting a backrest at'the rear of theleg frame and with means for adjustably and slidably supporting the forward end of the seat frame at the forward upper end portion ofthe leg frame, a further object being to provide means between the seat frame and leg frame for retaining the seatframe in different positions of adjustment in the differently adjusted inclinations of the backrest frameto provide angular relation of the backrest frame and seat framewhenthe chair is in use and inthediiferent recliningpositions thereof; a further object beingto provide a leg frame, the forward and upperendsof therear legs of which are curved upwardly and outwardly to prevent excessive raising of the forward end of the seatframe in the several reclined positions of the chair'as well asto restrict the lowering of the forward edge of theseat in theupright positions of the chair; a still further object being to provide a leg rest consisting of'continuou's side rail"portions, the outer endsof which are curved downwardlyxand the legsupporting slats of which are arranged in 'anuinclinedpo'sition to provide comfortable.arrangement of the'feet and legs upon said rest; a still further object being to provideafoot receiving opening between the slats of the leg rest and theforwar-d edge of the seat of the chairto facilitate the operation of getting into and out of the chair; iand-with these and other objects in view, the inventionconsists in a chair of the class and for the purpose specified, which in addition to being simple and economical in construction as well as strong and durable, also has the feature of very short folding or collapsing, as mo-refully hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable referencev characters in each ofthe views,

and in which: Fig. 1 is a perspeotive'view'of,a;chair made the object of the invention is to" 1: provide a chair'of what mightbe termed streamrods I 8 and front and 24,

according to my invention in extended position. Fig. 2 is a side view of the chair in collapsed position.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the chair shown in Fig. 1, with parts in a differ- 5 ent position.

Fig;' 4"i's a partial section on the line l- 4 of Fig. 3. V

Fig. 5 is a rear view of chair as shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail and sectional view of a part of the construction shown in Fig. 3, the section being substantially on the line 66 f F ,4. M

Figfi 'i is a' view'similar to Fig. 6-showing a modification. p

'Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view through a part of the leg rest which I employ; and,

Fig. 9 is a sectional detail view showing a modified method of mounting the backrest and 20 seat in connection with each other and in the frame. a

My improved chair consists of a leg frame I0 and backrest frame II, a seat frame l2, a brace frame I3, a leg supporting frame l4 and side arms i: The leg frame consisting of two similar back legs 'l6 and front legs l1 joined by rear cross cross rods 19. The legs are pivoted together as seen at and disposed in crossed relation with each other when set up for use, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings. 1

Theupper and forward end portions of the legs it are curved outwardly and downwardly as clearly seen in the drawings, and the inner surfacesof said ends are provided with elongated recesses'or channels 21, the lower walls of which are preferably lined with a strip or sheet of metal 22 as clearly illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings. But, in some forms of chairs, the use 40 of this facing strip or sheet is not absolutely essential.

These walls adjacent the front. ends of the legs "I6 are provided with grooves or notches 23 .in connection with, which the cross 45 dowel ror. coupling rod 25 joining the forward ends of the side rails of the seat frame l2 are adapted to operate. The rods 25 project beyondthe' outer side surfaces of the rails of the seat frame I 2 to extend into the grooves or re- 50 cesses 2|. The purpose of the grooves 23 and 24 is to retain the seat frame [2 as Well as the backrest frame II in different positions of inone side portion of the clination .adjustmentto prevent accidental disrear legs l6 as seen at .31, whereas same time, permitting relative adjustment of the seat and backrest by simply applying slight force or pressure to the backrest and at the same time easing up on the pressure or weight displaced upon the seat. These adjustments can be made without the necessity of the occupants removal from the chair.

The grooves 2| in the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive extend back along the rear legs It to a point adjacent the pivots to provide for the collapsing of the chair into the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. However, these grooves may be made shorter in the manner taught in Fig. '7 by modifying the coupling of the seat frame with the backrest frame as taught in Fig. 9 of the drawings as well as the coupling of the armrest with the backrest frame or the upper end portions of the front legs, which structures will be later described.

The backrest frame consists of similar side railsjoined at the upper end by a cross rod 26. The lower ends of said rails are pivoted to the rear ends of the seat frame rails as shown at 21. A single strip of canvas or other flexible material 28 is attached to the rail 26 and also to the cress rail at the front of the seat frame to form the body supporting portion of the seat and backrest. The seat portion of the strip 28 is reinforced by a supplemental cross strip 29 extending between the side rails of the seat frame and by one or two cross strips 30, 30a extending between the side rails of the backrest frame adjacent the lower portion thereof to form supports and reinforcements for the back of the occupant of. the chair. By employing the two crossed reinforcements 30, 30a, a definite flexure may be provided for the backrest portion of the sheet or strip 28 to more comfortably fit the back of the occupant of the chair.

At the upper ends of the side rails of the backrest frame H are winged nuts 3|, by means of which a canopy top may be attached to the chair, if desired. To the lower end portions of the rails of the backrest frame I I are attached metal stop plates 32 which extend outwardly and are adapted to cooperate with the upper end portions of the front legs ll of the leg frames to aid in limiting the reclining position of the backrest frame and to prevent the possibility of the backrest frame dropping beyond the limit of its reclined position. The forward end portions 2|a of the grooves or recesses 2| engaged by the ends of the rod 25 also check and limit the reclining movement of the backrest frame as well as the seatframe.

The brace frame l3 consists of curved side rails 33 pivoted to the upper ends of the front legs I? as seen at 34, and the lower ends of the rails are joined by a cross rod or dowel 35 which is adjustable with respect to three or more notches 36 formed in the upper edge of the lower end portions of the rear legs l6. By providing the several grooves or notches 36, different inclination adjustments of the chair are provided.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, the arms |5 of the chair are in the form of forwardly extending and downwardly curved members, the front lower ends of which are pivoted to the upper front end portions of the the rear end portions of said arms are pivoted as seen at 38 to links 39, the latter being arranged on the piv- 0ts.342= H I I may substitute for the structure shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, a definite means to provide for the collapsing of the chair, for example, the forward upper ends of the rear legs |6a may be provided with grooves or channels 4|) which are shorter than the channels 2| and which open outwardly through the lower edges of the legs l6. Substituted for the strip 22 and grooves or recesses 23 and 24 is a heavy strip of metal 4| which forms a closure for the bottom of the channel 40 and which is grooved as seen at 42 and 43 to correspond to the grooves 23, 24. The pin or cross rail 25a of the seat operates therein as clearly indicated in Fig. 7 of the drawings.

In this same connection and with this type of construction and to compensate for the shorter groove or channel 40, the arms |5a are provided at their rear end portions with elongated slots 44 which operate upon pivots 45, to which the upper ends of the rear legs Ila are pivoted to the backrest Ila, and the lower end of the side rails of the backrest ||a are provided with elongated grooves or apertures 46 through which pins, bolts or rivets 41 attached to the rear end of the seat frame |2a are free to pass. Aside from these differences in structural features, the chair made in accordance with the structures shown in Figs. 7 and 9 will be the same as that shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive.

The foot-rest M in the construction shown consists of two similar side rails 48, the forward ends of which are curved downwardly and are provided at their ends with anti-friction rollers 49 to provide free movement of the foot-rest over a supporting surface. The rear ends of the rails 48 are provided with hooks 50 which are detachable from the dowel 25 inwardly of the side rails of the seat frame |2. The side rails 48 are joined by two cross strips 5|, 52, intermediate the end portions thereof and so arranged as to extend slats 53 joining said strips in a downward direction so that the strip 5| is considerably lower than the strip 52, and the strip 5| has a raised flange portion 5|a against which the heels of shoes may be placed to prevent shifting of the occupant of the chair longitudinally, especially when in reclined position. The rail or strip 52 is disposed in spaced relation to the front edge portion of the seat frame so as to provide a large opening through which the feet and legs of the occupant of the chair may be placed in the operation of getting into and out of the chair. This constitutes one of the distinctive features of my invention, and materially simplifies the operation of getting in and out of the chair especially when used by an invalid.

The single piece curved side' rails of the footrest also give greater stability to the entire chair structure, and by providing the rollers 49 the free movement of the foot-rest over a supporting surface is provided in adjusting the chair into several positions. The raised flange portion 5|a of the strip 5| acts as a stop against which the heels of the feet may be placed to retain the occupant against movement longitudinally of the chair. It will also be apparent that the upper curved ends of the rear legs IS, in addition to giving beauty to the chair, also serve to keep the forward edge of the chair in the desired height position when adjusted forwardly and backwardly. The curved arms l5 also provide comfortable arm rests in comparison with the conventional straight or flat arms, and further are of greater rigidity than the conventional two-piece arms in chairs of the kind under consideration.

. It will also appear that the chair folds within the length of the legs IE or the backrest frame ll thusproviding a shorter fold. chair thanany of its kind as heretofore constructed. In.this connection, it will be understood, however, that the height of the topcross rod 26 of thebackrest frame is above the headof a normal size person when seated in the chairthus producinga chair which is comfortable in every (respect.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is:- I 1 1. In a collapsible chair comprising'leg, seat and backrest frames, said seat andbackrest frames each having spaced side rails pivotedfto gether at the lower end of. the backrest frame, the leg frame comprising pairs .of front and rear leg members pivoted together intermediate the ends thereof, said legwmembers being arranged outwardly of the side rails of the seat and backrest frames, means adjustably coupling the upper endsof the front leg members with the lower ends of the rear leg members, means pivoting the backrest frame to the upper ends of the front leg members, and means'longitudinally of the upper end portions of said rear leg members and at the forward ends ofthe rails of said seat frame for movably supporting-the seat frame adjusted to the different inclinations of the backrest frame. I I 2. In a collapsible chair comprising leg, seat and backrest frames, said seat and backrest frames each having spaced side rails pivoted together at the lower end of the backrest frame, the leg frame comprising pairs of front and rear leg members pivoted together intermediate the ends thereof, the rear leg members being slightly longer than the front leg members, said leg members being arranged outwardly of the side rails of the seat and backrest frames, means adjustably coupling the upper ends of the front leg members with the lower ends of the rear leg members, means pivoting the backrest frame to the upper ends of the front leg members,

means longitudinally of the upper end portions of the rear leg members and at the forward ends of the rails of said seat frame for movably supporting the seat frame adjusted to the different inclinations of the backrest frame, said last named means comprising elongated channels in said leg members and a rod at the forward end of the seat frame rails engaging said channels, said channels being of sufiicient length to permit collapsing of the various frames one within the other with their side rails adjacent each other and the leg members and all folding substan tially within the length of the rear leg members without detaching the seat frames from said rear leg members.

3. In a collapsible chair comprising leg, seat and backrest frames, said seat and backrest frames each having spaced side rails pivoted together at the lower end of the backrest frame, the leg frame comprising pairs of front andrear leg members pivoted together intermediate the ends thereof, said leg members being arranged outwardly of the side rails of the seat and backrest frames, means adjustably coupling the upper ends of the front leg members with the lower ends of the rear leg members, means pivoting the backrest frame to the upper ends of the front leg members, the upper end portions of the rear leg members being curved downwardly and provided with elongated and similarly curved channels, the forward ends of the rails of the seat frame having a connecting rod therebetween 4. In a collapsible chair comprising leg,-seat and backrest frames, said seat and backrest frames each having spaced side railspivoted' different positions of ad together at the lower end of the backrest frame,

the leg frame comprising pairs of front and rear leg members pivoted together intermediate the ends thereof, said leg members" being'an ranged outwardly of the side rails of theseat and backrest frames, means adjustably coupling the upper ends of the front leg members with the lower ends of the rear leg members, means pivotingthe backrest frame to the upper ends of the front leg members, the upper end portions of the rear leg members being curved downwardly and provided with elongated-arid simi larly curved channels, the forward ends of the rails of the seat frame having a connecting rod therebetween and outwardly projecting parts operating in the channels of said rear leg members to guide the seat frame inits movement 'accompanying the different inclinations of the 5. In a collapsible chair comprising leg, seat and backrest frames, said seat and backrest frames each having spaced side rails pivoted together at the lower ends of the backrest frame, the leg frame comprising pairs of front and rear leg members pivoted together intermediate the ends thereof, said leg members being arranged outwardly of the side rails of the seat and backrest frames, means adjustably coupling the upper ends of the front leg members with the lower ends of the rear leg members, means pivoting the backrest frame to the upper ends of the front leg members, the upper end portions of the rear leg members having elongated and similarly curved channels, the forward ends of the rails of the seat frame having a connecting rod therebetween and outwardly projecting parts operating in the channels of said rear leg members to guide the seat frame in its movement accompanying the different inclinations of the backrest frame and in collapsing all of said frames, a sheet of flexible material extending continuously from the forward end of the seat frame to the upper end of the backrest frame to form the seat and backrest proper of said frames, and means transversing the seat and backrestframes for reinforcing said flexible sheet.

6. A collapsible chair comprising leg, seat and backrest frames, the inner end of the seat frame being pivoted to the lower end of the backrest frame, the leg frame comprising pairs of rear and front leg members arranged in crossed relation and pivoted, together intermediate the ends thereof, said leg members being arranged outwardly of the side rails of the seat and backrest frames, means adjustably coupling the upper ends of the front leg members with the lower ends of the rear leg members, means pivoting the backrest frame to the upper ends of the front leg members, the upper ends of the rear leg members having longitudinal channels, means at the forward end of the seat frame engaging said channels to guide and support the forward end of the seat frame in the leg frame, one piece arm-rests pivotally coupled with the upper ends of the front and rear leg members, and said arm-rests comprising substantially straight rear portions paralleling the seat frame and downwardly curved forward end portions.

"I. A collapsible chair comprising leg, seat and backrest frames, the inner end of the seat frame being pivoted to the lower end of the backrest frame, the leg frame comprising pairs of rear and front leg members arranged inv crossed relation and pivoted together intermediate the ends thereof, said leg members being arrangedoutwardly of the side rails of the seat andbackrest frames, means adjustably coupling the upper ends of the front leg members with the lower ends of the rear leg members,'means pivoting the backrest frame to the upper ends of the front leg members, the upper ends of the rear leg members having longitudinal channels, means at the forward end of the seat frame engaging said channels to guide and support the forward end of the seat frame in the leg frame, one piece arm-rests pivotally coupled with the upper ends of the front and-rear leg members, said armrests comprising substantially straight rear portions paralleling the seat frame and downwardly curved forward end portions, and sliding pivot and slot connections provided between the seat frame and backrest frame and between the armrests and the upper ends of said rear leg members.

8. In a collapsible chair comprising leg, seat and backrest frames, said seat and backrest frames each having spaced side rails pivoted together at the lower ends of the backrest frame, the leg frame comprising pairs of front and rear leg members pivoted together intermediate the ends thereof, said leg members being arranged outwardly of the side rails of the seat and backrest frames, means adjustably coupling the upper ends of the front leg members with the lower ends of the rear leg members, means pivoting the backrest frame to the upper ends of the front leg members, means longitudinally of the upper end portions of said rear leg members and at the forward ends of the rails of said seat frame for movably supporting the seat frame adjusted to the different inclinations of the backrest frame, one piece arm-rests pivotally coupled to the upper end portions of the front and rear leg members, the rear end portions of the armrests' being substantially straight and paralleling the rails of the seat frame, the forward end portions of said arm-rests being curved downwardly, a foot-rest frame movably coupled with the forward end of the seat frame, said foot-rest frame comprising spaced side rails having downwardly curved outer end portions, and a footrest part joining the outer end portions of the side rails of the foot-rest frame.

CARL A. TORNQUIST. 

